Preacher & Daisy

Preacher & Daisy

As a kid, Sam Bailey –lead singer and songwriter of Preacher & Daisy– would wake for school to the pop-pop-pop of hunting rifles firing out into the State Game Lands that bordered his rural household in Snyder County, Pennsylvania. This was the initial sound, the waking point for the energy that drives the musical character of Preacher & Daisy’s debut EP, Over Lake Erie. Though Sam does not identify religiously, his songs explore the influence of religion on rural American life.

While originally Sam’s solo project, Preacher & Daisy has since expanded to include members Eva Hilton (bass and backup vocals), Cody Edgerly (drums), and Maddy Baltor (lead guitar). The band was formed, one member at a time at Oberlin College. Initially, Sam and Eva began to perform as an electric guitar and bass duo, offering harmonies over original songs. Sam’s songwriting background in folk and country was workshopped by Eva, who challenged the musicality of the songs to expand past their traditional chord and melody structures. Her creative ear offered further distinction to Preacher & Daisy’s sound in the making, and soon after the two sought out drums and a lead guitarist. The addition of Edgerly to the duo’s indie folk sound provided the project with an intensity not previously available to Bailey and Hilton. Preacher & Daisy’s sound could now include a full range of dynamics, offering movement and range to the listening experience. The final addition of Baltor to the band filled in the spaces between Bailey’s lyrics with the essential riffs and eclectic lead guitar tones that matured Preacher & Daisy’s sound to what it is today.